Use of a ‘pose rate’ to quantify yoga

Abstract

Objective: To develop a method that describes the physical activity completed during yoga, and to use this method to compare three different yoga video categories: weight loss, beginner, and stress relief/meditation.Design: This study conducted content analysis of commercially available yoga videos in which pre-determined characteristics of yoga routines were recorded. Outcome measures included the yoga routine characteristics of: duration of each yoga routine, number of completed poses, body position of each pose, and pose rate.Results: Twenty-two routines from yoga videos were analyzed. Duration of routine between the three different categories was not significantly different. There were significant differences between the video categories based on the characteristics of total number of poses and the pose rate, with weight loss routines having the highest values compare to beginner routines and stress relief/meditation (total number of poses: 74.1, 34.3, 25.6 poses, p < 0.05; Pose rate: 2.5m 1.5, 1.1 poses/min, p < 0.05, respectively). Additionally, differences were observed between body postures in poses with weight loss videos including more standing poses (38.8, 17.0, 5.7 poses, p < 0.05, respectively) and a lower percentage of seated (9.9%, 15.8%, 39.0%, p < 0.05, respectively) and supine poses (10.9%, 18.5%, 28.8%, p < 0.05, respectively) compared to the beginner and stress/meditation videos.Conclusions: The characteristics of total poses, pose rate, and total standing poses showed significant differences between different styles of yoga. Further research should be conducted to validate these characteristics as an intensity measures and to assess if these characteristics have variations between different yoga styles.